Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Using Cyclic Voltammetry, UV-Vis-NIR, and EPR Spectroelectrochemistry to Analyze Organic Compounds
Published on: October 18, 2018
Electron-accepting potential of solvents determines photolysis rates of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons:
Jianping Shao1, Jingwen Chen, Qing Xie
1Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Linggong Road 2, Dalian 116024, PR China.
Abstract:
Photochemical behaviour of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is strongly dependent on the physical and chemical nature of the media in/on which they exist. To understand the media effects, the photolysis of phenanthrene (PHE) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in several solvents was investigated. Distinct photolysis rate constants for PHE and BaP in the different solvents were observed. Some theoretical parameters reflecting the solvent properties were computed and employed to explain the solvent effects. Acetone competitively absorbed light with PHE and BaP, and the excited acetone molecules played different roles for the photodegradation of PHE and BaP. The photolysis rate constants of PHE and BaP in hexane, isopropanol, ethanol, methanol, acetonitrile and dichloromethane were observed to correlate with the electron-accepting potential of the solvent molecules. Absolute electronegativity of the solvents linearly correlated with the photolytic activity (log k) of the PAHs significantly. The results are important for better understanding the photodegradation mechanism of PAHs in different media.
More Related Videos
08:04Excitonic Hamiltonians for Calculating Optical Absorption Spectra and Optoelectronic Properties of Molecular Aggregates and Solids
Published on: May 27, 2020
08:54Vibrational Spectra of a N719-Chromophore/Titania Interface from Empirical-Potential Molecular-Dynamics Simulation, Solvated by a Room Temperature Ionic Liquid
Published on: January 25, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Stereochemistry
Selection Rules: Photochemical Activation
Variables Affecting Phosphorescence and Fluorescence
Solvating Effects
Aromatic Hydrocarbon Anions: Structural Overview
Due to the absence of continuous overlap of p...
Entropy and Solvation
UV–Vis Spectroscopy: Molecular Electronic Transitions